PARENT COMMUNICATION PAGE
Volume 1: Number 1: March 30,2019 WHAT'S THE GO IN ROOM 332? MAKING A "GO" WITH GO PRO!! I am excited to announce the starting in April, we will have GO Pro Cameras added to our classroom's technology tools. Please take a few minutes to read about this awesome new technology tool and how it will impact your child's learning over the course of the next few months. HOW WILL THIS TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING? There is an endless amount of educational opportunities when it comes to using Go Pro Cameras in the classroom. The class will be using the Go Pro Cameras to create a wide variety of videos in their learning units, commercials, Public Service Announcements (PSA's), and present projects on how to prevent teen smoking and how to stomp out bullying. I am very eager and excited about having students unleash their creativity using the Go Pro Cameras. The student created videos will become valuable study tools to strengthen understanding of the materials and help students prepare for upcoming assignments and assessments. AUTHENTIC USE FOR THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY. Students will use the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Website along with other safe and reliable websites to conduct an Internet search to learn more about tobacco use among teens. Once the research is complete, students will create a video and attach it to the class webpage urging teens who use tobacco to quit. Students will also include messages to teens that have never smoked not to take up the habit of smoking. This video will also be shared with the school they are working with in Canada to get the word out about how bad smoking is. HOW WILL THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT THE CURRICULUM? This school year my students are participating in a campaign with a school in Canada to Stop Teen Smoking. The activity encourages students to use social media to get their messages out about the dangers of teen smoking. The students will be making Public Service Announcements through a multi-media blog, and sharing their videos both in class and with the students in Canada. Through this project, my students will be more informed and involved with current health issues and will feel that their voices will be heard not only in the classroom but in other areas in the world by using the Go Pro Camera. With the Go Pro experience, students would go beyond just being informed about health issues they will experience these issues first-hand through the lens of the Go Pro Camera. HOW WILL THE USE OF THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY BE ASSESSED? At the end of each month, the students will fill out an electronic survey in which they will share their experiences about working with the Go Pro Cameras. This will be their chance to give honest feedback about what's not working, and what ideas they have to make it work better. In addition student grades on various assessments (formative, summative, standardized, etc.) will be compared to grades received by previous years' students to document any overall class changes (hopefully positive in nature) that might be attributed to the use of the Go Pro Camera. Of course there are many variables at play to say with complete confidence that it is the Go Pro Camera the caused these changes, but it is likely that the Go Pro Camera will hold some responsibility. I will also work very hard to educate myself on the Go Pro Camera use for the classroom. I will seek assistance from our school's technology department and I will attend regular trainings that are offered. HOW WILL THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY BE INTEGRATED INTO THE CLASSROOM? The Go Pro Cameras will be housed in a small charging cabinet in the back of my classroom. At the start of each period. students will get their assigned Go Pro Camera and take it back to their seat so they will have it available for the day's lesson. At the end of the lesson, students will return the Go Pro Cameras to it's designated location and plug it back into the charge. For the first month, Go Pro Camera usage will be focused on the basics. Students will learn basic functionality of the camera (taking pictures) and strategies for troubleshooting the Go Pro Camera. Next, students will learn how to take videos and how to save and review the videos for future use. Towards the end of the year, students will have more flexibility to choose how they want to use the Go Pro Camera for class projects. Throughout all of this Go Pro Camera training I will have some small activities for students to undertake using the Go Pro Camera. HOW WILL STUDENT SAFETY AND SECURITY BE ADDRESSED? There are a number of steps Lewiston Middle School is implementing to ensure the safety and security of students using school Go Pro Cameras. For example, the school has a media release form that needs to be filled out and signed by parents, guardians and students before the first use of the cameras or any media tools are used. The students will need to participate in introductory class about the Go Pro Camera and proper usage surrounding the device. The students will be monitored while using the Go Pro Cameras to ensure these rules are being followed. QUESTIONS "????" CONCERNS? PLEASE CONTACT ME. ewhittier@lewistonpublicschools.og